Using Facebook Messenger in your marketing efforts

It allows its users to message people directly, overriding the Facebook platform and its constant sharing of information. 

Facebook claims, in its news centre, (www.facebook.com/business/) that ‘people and businesses are exchanging over 20 billion messages on Messenger each month’. 

One high-profile businesswoman took full advantage of the app and its features, creating a Facebook Messenger campaign to drive awareness, traffic and sales. An article from messengernews.fb.com/2019/12/11/want-to-reach-your-customers-strike-up-a-conversation/ states that ‘Global fashion icon Victoria Beckham created a full Messenger experience, driving an 86% open rate for push messages and a 4X higher open rate, compared to email’.

According to https://www.facebook.com/business/marketing/messenger#, there has been a rise in the amount of people messaging businesses:

61% of people in the UK have messaged a business in the past three months

53% of people are more likely to shop with a business they can message directly

More than 1 in 2 people consider business messaging the modern way to communicate

Businesses that invite messages from the public build trust with, and evoke loyalty from, their customers. Automatic responses can be set up, which forward a predetermined message to customers as soon as they get in touch, saying such things as ‘someone will respond soon’. They can even include FAQs, so that customers can access answers to their questions quickly. 

If someone takes the time to reach out to a Facebook page and message the corresponding business, this usually means they’re interested in the product/service the company sells. This provides a great opportunity for the business to follow up with potential clients, to talk about customers’ wants and needs, and build up relationships. Once a relationship has been forged, businesses can follow up with these customers and promote special offers or introduce new products and services. 

Another welcome aspect of Facebook Messenger is that it’s private. Customers can message the business about sensitive topics, safe in the knowledge that they’re having a one-to-one conversation with the company. For example, there are many domestic abuse charities on Facebook that have their own pages. Victims of abuse could message these organisations for advice via Messenger and none of their Facebook friends would see that they’re communicating with that page. 

Facebook Messenger is a free way to communicate with customers, so it’s no surprise that 40 million businesses actively use it each month*. Are you one of those businesses?

*www.socialmediatoday.com